Shell Lake Township has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.0 for each
Hardly any stay in Shell Lake Township for work; outside it, Detroit Lakes is the main destination (36%, 19 miles). 4 jobs are based in Shell Lake Township; 114 of its residents have a job. A typical one-way commute lasts 45 minutes, next to 23 for Minnesota and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Shell Lake Township quiets down on a workday
On a workday 114 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 4 people come in from elsewhere.
About 180 people are in Shell Lake Township on a workday afternoon, 37% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where Shell Lake Township goes to work
Where Shell Lake Township clocks in
36% of workers
4% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Factories, building and farms: 50% of the jobs in Shell Lake Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Shell Lake Township, 2013 → 2023: 1 → 4. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Shell Lake Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Shell Lake Township spends getting to work: about 45 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 14.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Shell Lake Township workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 128 commuters (the 16% who work from home are left out). Across Minnesota: 84% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How many miles Shell Lake Township commutes
About 30% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The towns around Shell Lake Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Shell Lake Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shell Lake Township | – | — | — | 45 min | $61,875 |
| Toad Lake Township | under 2% | — | — | 36 min | — |
| Carsonville Township | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Height of Land Township | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Round Lake Township | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Toad Lake Township, Carsonville Township, Height of Land Township and Round Lake Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Shell Lake Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Shell Lake Township: questions
What is the median household income in Shell Lake Township?
$61,875 (±$15,955) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Shell Lake Township?
15.1%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Shell Lake Township?
45 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Shell Lake Township work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Detroit Lakes (36%, 19 mi), Perham (4%, 23 mi), Frazee (4%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Shell Lake Township without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Shell Lake Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Shell Lake Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.